Reaffliction, ON HIATUS
by MarauderGirl777
Summary: It's been six years since Sakura lost Gaara, and was placed in the very mental institution she once worked in. When a new intern comes along, can he possibly dig her out of the hole she's in, or will Gaara's affliction reach him too? Based on 'Affliction'
1. Prologue

_**THIS STORY IS BASED ON THE FANFICTION "AFFLICTION" BY everyday0203.**_

_**I do not own Naruto.  
**_

Neji Hyuga may have been an outstanding doctor, but nothing ever prepared him for _this._ The only place he could possibly find an internship was this.. _pathetic _excuse for a hospital. It was a run-down, smelly, dirty _mental _hospital. None of those words equaled 'good' in his dictionary. He didn't want to hear people screaming about squirrels rampaging in their room or about how their toilet paper makes threats against them, and he certainly didn't want to put up with that putrid, _sick_ smell that came along with Konoha's Mental Institution.

Which was why he hated being so good at what he did. He hated that he was impaired, he hated that he couldn't do what he loved most: being a shinobi. He was injured beyond belief.. Almost dead. He never fully healed. Everyone had told him there was no chance of ever becoming a shinobi again.

Neji was devastated at first. He spent months in his room, just laying there. He was a mess. His hair had gotten out of control, his face was paler than usual, his eyes had lost all life. He didn't want to live.

However, after a chastising from his uncle, Neji soon got back on his feet. Though he couldn't do the things he used to do, he did do something he could: saving people's lives. He took up the medical profession in order to make use of himself, and was one of the best doctors in Konoha. He was still so underpracticed in the real field, however, that Konoha's Hospital would not hire him until he got some experience.

So.. he had to sign up for an internship.. _there._


	2. Chapter 1

It was a windy August day when Neji first started his internship at Konoha's Mental Institution. He pulled his trenchcoat tighter around his form as the wind continued finding ways to snake through his clothing to chill his skin. He grit his teeth as he continued heading towards the rusty metal doors of the dreary-looking place. _'If it looks this depressing on the outside.. I wonder how bad it is on the inside.' _he thought skeptically.

His long hair flowed down his back; he never cut it. He wasn't ever going to, either. He'd decided that when he was a child. He had pulled the ends together at the end with a string, however. It whipped behind him as the wind tugged at the coffee-brown strands. He concentrated solely on the double doors and the warmth he would find once inside the building.

Neji hated the cold. He truly hated the cold. The bones he'd shattered began to ache again when it was cold. It made his knees weak, made his ribs hurt.

Opening the doors, Neji's stomach lurched when the fresh air was replaced with the repulsive scent of disease, medication, and cheap lemon-scented cleaner. He shook his head and wrinkled his nose. "Better get used to this.." he mumbled, sighing.

He noted that the place looked like a prison more than a hospital. He wondered how any person, demented or not, could live in a place like this. He hadn't been in the place two minutes and already he was longing for his clean, freshly-scented flat. Sighing again, he slowly approached the caged-off area and barred doors.

"Can I he--... Help you?" a receptionist was previously filing her nails until she'd looked up at him. Her eyes widened and she dropped the nail-file.

"Yes," he replied. "I'm Neji Hyuga.. I'm starting my internship here today."

"O-Oh, yes," she nodded. "I remember now.." she pushed a button near her hand and a loud buzzing sound made Neji's ears ring as the door opened.

He walked through, looking around. He felt cramped, like he was trapped in the place.. he imagined that must've been how the residents here felt. "Tsunade will be with you in a minute!" the woman called after him, and he nodded slightly.

The walls of the place were the typical hospital colors; white, beige.. yellow here and there.. Neji couldn't tell if the yellow really belonged since it looked like the place hadn't been cleaned in years.

He saw patients shuffling about the halls, mumbling to themselves. They looked so drugged that they were probably incapable of anything but basic functions. They looked almost.. like zombies off of some cheap horror movie.

He tried to keep his eyes off of them as they moved away from him, keeping themselves away as he walked down the hall, looking for Tsunade, his new 'boss'.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" a high-pitched voice screeched. Neji could hear something shattering. There were other voices, soothing ones, but the screaming continued.

He ran towards the source, and found a large man who somewhat resembled a gorilla standing near a blonde-haired woman donning a white lab coat. She was trying to hush the screaming patient. Neji couldn't get a look at the owner of the screaming voice at the moment; the gorilla man was in the way. He could hear something else shatter.

"Come on, give me the glass.." the blonde-headed woman said calmly, holding out her hand.

"Get away..!!" the patient yelled again. "It's all my fault!!"

"It's not.." the blonde said soothingly, shaking her head. "Give me the glass before you hurt yourself, and we can go into my office and talk."

"NO! IT'S ALL MY FAULT! HE'S DEAD!! IT'S ALL MY FAULT!!" the woman screeched, and her voice broke. Neji could hear sobs coming from her; they were pitiful and wretched-sounding. The blonde woman tried to reach out and grab the glass, but the owner of the sobs began what Neji assumed was wild struggling. She screamed and yelled, her body thrashing about wildly. The gorilla man then grabbed the woman and pinned her down by the throat roughly. She kept the glass tightly in her hand; Neji could tell it was cutting deep into the skin. It was then that he got a good look at her. She had pink hair, and it was wild and frizzy. He imagined it was from years in the place. She had her eyes squeezed shut and she continued to struggle against the man, her screams being strangled by his hand. The blonde tried to reach for the glass again but the patient lashed out and sliced her hand with the glass. The wound began bleeding heavily, and Tsunade put it to her lab coat, staining the white cloth with blood.

Seeing the woman being impaired, Neji quickly dashed forward and pulled the glass out of her hand before she could further damage herself. He looked around. There were two shattered mirrors. The cuts on her face (they were prominent on the forehead) were probably from her smashing her head against the mirror. He glanced back down at her, and caught sight of the brightest green eyes he'd ever seen. His eyes widened.

She was glaring murderously at him, her eyes hopeless and desperate as hate filled them. His breath caught when he saw what she'd done to her leg. A long, deep gash ran all the way down her calf. It was so deep he could see flesh, everything. He stomach churned at the sight. She must've dug into her leg with the glass she held.

This woman was truly crazy. To hurt herself like that.. She belonged here, he thought.

"I will use this if you don't settle down." Tsunade threatened, holding up a syringe filled with a clear liquid.

The patient's eyes widened and she trembled, hissing at them.

"I'm Tsunade," the blonde woman turned to him, holding out her hand. She smiled tiredly. "I apologize for this being your first experience here at the hospital."

"It's quite alright," Neji lied, taking her hand and shaking it. "I'm here for my internship."

"Yes, I know," Tsunade nodded before looking at her hand, tsking. She frowned. "I'd like for you to patch up Sakura here while I go take care of my hand. Meet me in my office when you're done."

Before Neji could protest, the woman was gone, and the gorilla man left shortly after. Sakura was on the floor right where the gorilla man had left her, glaring daggers at Neji. "Hello, I'm Neji Hyuga. I'll be.." he trailed off, sighing when her eyes narrowed dangerously on him.

"Can you walk?" he asked.

She didn't answer. She only stood and limped over to the door, past Neji. She stumbled, and Neji rushed forward to steady her by grabbing her arm. She jerked away and hissed at him, her face filled with malice.

He was taken aback. Her skin was so.. Cold. Like all life had left it.

She began limping down the hallway, and Neji followed quietly, frowning. He hoped he wasn't going to be assigned to this patient.. He didn't know how many more of those glares he could take. He assumed she was heading in the direction of the examination room. He looked around at the dirty walls and rusty metal doors on either side of him. He also noticed that patients backed themselves up against the wall when Sakura walked by. He wondered why, but then again, with the display she'd just shown, Neji probably wouldn't have blamed them.

He wondered what kind of hell this woman must have gone through to be stuck in a place like this. He shuddered at the thought. Was it family? Friends? A lover? He didn't know, but whatever it was.. it truly must have driven her insane.

"It's none of your damn business." He heard her hissing voice, and he blinked, looking at her.

"Hm?" he binked again. Did he say something out loud?

"You asked how I got here.." her lip twitched as she talked.. he could tell she was agitated. He also assumed that she was easily angered. _'So, I know she's angered easily.. I need to watch what I say around her. If she goes into another fit like she did just then.. She could end up killing herself one day.'_

"I apologize." He said, and she ignored him.

So apologies were useless. It was like she hadn't even heard him. In fact, it was like he wasn't even there as she limped down the hall. He followed her quietly, not saying a word as she continued limping. There were a few times where she'd stop for a moment, obviously in pain, but Neji knew better than to touch her. She didn't hit him the last time, but he knew she would if he touched her in any way again.

Finally, near the end of one hall, there was a door on the left. She entered through that door and he followed her in, closing the door behind him. He looked around aimlessly, curious as to where everything was located. He looked around for a few more moments before he noticed that she was getting everything out herself. He approached her and she got all the supplies, setting them on the examination table and hopping up on it. Neji looked at her hand first. He held it gently in his, and as he touched it, he could sense her whole body stiffening. She was obviously uncomfortable with physical contact; he would have to remember that. He was surprised she was letting him touch her then.

'_Must be a medical thing..' _he thought to himself. There was a long cut in her hand, one that would require stitching. The leg would definitely need stitching, and possibly more. Taking a needle and wire, he began stitching up her hand, after cleaning it with some alcohol. He tried to be as gentle as possible, but even when he'd accidentally prick her, she didn't move, didn't flinch, didn't wince in the least. She just stared ahead of her, green eyes blank and dull.

He kept completely quiet, his breaths deep and calm as he worked on her hand. After he was done, he took a cotton swab and dabbed it in alcohol, beginning to dab at the cuts on her face. He managed to clean all the blood away with a few swabs, and then began to clean at the damage done to her forehead. He moved to brush a strand of hair out of her face, and she hissed lowly. He bit his lip and moved his hand away, continuing to clean, making sure not to touch her unless medically required.

Despite her unclean appearance, she smelled wonderful. Vanilla and cherry blossoms flooded his nose, seeing how he had to lean closer to get at some areas of her face.

Then came the leg. He knelt and got more wire after cleaning the wound. She didn't wince or show any sign that she was feeling pain as he put the alcohol on the deep wound. He shuddered as he gently took her leg in his hand.

Her skin felt like ice. He jerked his hand away. His knees began aching. He winced slightly, and fell back on his bottom, the needle and wire falling to the floor. He waited for the aching to subside. He glanced at Sakura and noticed she was staring at him, her face holding a look of bored curiosity.

"I.. the cold.." he shook his head, getting back onto his slightly weak knees, retrieving the needle and wire. He bit his lip, bracing himself for her icy skin as he once again took her leg gently in his hand. He made sure to touch the skin as little as possible.

"The heat.. it burns." She let out a hiss, leg stiff in his hand.

"The cold hurts me." He glanced up at her, beginning to stitch. "I had to stop doing what I love most because I got injured.. So I became a doctor in order to make myself useful. The cold.. I hate the cold. It makes my bones ache.. Makes the memories come back, fresh in my mind.. It's painful."

Sakura remained silent the entire time he talked. In fact, she acted like she hadn't even heard him. He didn't mind though; talking to someone who wasn't responding was better than talking to thin air.

After much effort and about twenty or more minutes, her leg was tightly stitched together, and he was done with his work. Before she walked out the door, she smirked lightly at him and pointed to a sign above the examination table.

_**ALL HIGH-RISK PATIENTS MUST BE RESTRAINED BEFORE EXAMINATION.**_

"I'm one of those patients." Sakura smirked.

Neji felt incredibly stupid. He looked at her, brows curving downward in agitation. "I'll remember that next time.. Seeing how there probably will be a next time."

Her face fell and her brows furrowed, mouth curving down in a scowl. She then limped out of the room without another word, and Neji set to work cleaning up after himself. Disposing of all the cotton swabs and sterilizing the needle, he put the needle away and sighed, looking around. He left the room exactly the way it was, except for the bottle of alcohol sitting on the examination table.

'_Wonderful first day, Neji Hyuga.' _He thought, sighing heavily. _'Now to go see this Tsunade woman..'_


	3. Chapter 2

_**THIS STORY IS BASED ON THE FANFICTION "AFFLICTION" BY everyday0203.**_

_**I do not own Naruto.**_

"Neji, I'm so sorry that was the first experience you had at our institution.." Tsunade said, sighing. "Sakura.. she's special."

Neji frowned, nodding. "What happened to make her so..." he couldn't say the words. '_.. Insane?'_

"I.. that's something I think she should tell you herself," Tsunade frowned. "You'll just have to get her to trust you if you want to know.

"But I will say this.. She was normal, once." Tsunade smiled sadly.

Neji put a thumb to his chin in thought. _'Get her to trust me.. Get this madly insane woman to trust me enough to tell me of her past... Sounds impossible.'_

_'Sounds _fun.'

Neji looked to Tsunade, his pale eyes examining, searching for any hints. Hints of what, he didn't know.

"Neji, I would appreciate it if you would take care to observe Sakura, while attending to other patients." Tsunade handed Neji a large folder filled with different papers. "Take notes on any different behaviors she has, or any unordinary thing she does. Read this file tonight, and come in bright and early in the morning."

"Yes, ma'am." Neji nodded, taking the old folder carefully into his arms. He looked at Tsunade. "Any other patients you'd like for me to see today?"

"No," Tsunade said, standing. She stretched some. "I'll show you around the hospital, then you can go home."

Neji nodded and followed her out of her office, filing into the hallways. He looked around curiously as she led him around. Most patients ignored them. Some stared at them, afraid. Some yelled at them, and one even tugged on Neji's trenchcoat.

Neji hated Mental Hospitals. Crazy people made him uneasy, and he was feeling worse than uneasy at that moment. Right then, he wanted to keel over and barf his guts all over the floor, he was feeling so sick. His pale face was even paler, and he had to cover his mouth when the one patient tried to touch him.

"This is the lunchroom," Tsunade said, motioning to open double-doors. Neji looked boredly at the dreary-looking room. Something atrocious was cooking in the kitchens, Neji could smell it. Whatever the hell it was, it was burning.

Neji decided he'd bring his lunch from home.

"And the showers," Tsunade said after some time, pointing to a closed set of double doors. "There's separate ones for the men and women."

Neji memorized where every little thing in the hospital was easily; he was very good with sense of direction and memory. After a while, Neji knew his way around the whole hospital, and was allowed to leave. Keeping Sakura's file closedly clutched to his chest, he made his way out of the eerie hospital and into the cold, windy weather.

Tsunade watched him go from the front doors. She frowned sadly, lips curved downwards. "He'll end up just like her if he gets too close.."

xXx

Sweat dripped from his brow as he swung again and again. His hair flung back and forth in the high ponytail it was tied up in, strands clinging to his bare back, which was damp with his perspiration. He kept his pale lavender eyes focused solely on the pads held before him by his best friend, Rock Lee. He kept punching the pads with all of his strength, his rippling muscles twitching and straining from the exercise.

"Come on, Neji! You're almost there!" Lee encouraged him, holding the punching pads up steadily as Neji continued lunging at them.

"299.. 300!" Lee grinned, and lowered the pads. Neji was breathing heavily, hard chest heaving with exhaustion. A few strands of his bangs clung to his neck and cheeks, and he bent, his palms pressed to his knees. He glanced up at Lee, and the bowl-headed boy grinned, giving him a thumbs up.

After draining his water bottle, Neji went into the male locker rooms to shower and change. He got back out to find Lee jump-roping at a lightning-fast pace. Neji dried his loose, wet hair with a towel, watching his friend with a small smile.

"I'm going home, Lee," Neji called to the boy, and wasn't even answered. Neji knew he'd heard him, but knew that once Lee was in training mode, there was nothing else he focused on in the least. Neji tossed the towel into the gym's laundry basket and walked out, in the clothes he'd worn to the hospital earlier that day, with the exception of the trenchcoat. He sighed, getting into his car and starting it up, pulling away from the dojo.

Neji loved to train. The exercise made him feel great, and he loved to keep his body in shape. He couldn't do drastic things, like sparring anymore, but he could keep his arms built, and could even do crunches when his ribs weren't hurting too bad.

He drove along the roads, sighing and turning up the radio. He wasn't listening to the hardcore tunes of Metallica, though; he thought about his internship at the institution. He had to record Sakura? Just.. watch her? He didn't seem pleased with the thought of having to babysit her all day. Would she have to follow him around? Or did he have to follow her unless called to another patient? He was confused about his orders.. he would have to talk to Tsunade in the morning.

He glanced over at the file in the passenger seat. It was filled with papers, and Neji could spot a woman's handwriting scrawled across many of them. He looked at the road wearily and pulled into the drive-through of his favorite fast food place.

xXx

Neji fumbled with the keys to his flat as he struggled to keep coffee, his favorite take-out, and Sakura's file in his arms. Finally getting the door unlocked, he kicked it open, walking in and shutting the door behind him with his foot. He flipped on the lights and set the coffee, food and file down on his coffee table carefully. Slipping his shoes off, he settled back into his couch, sipping the coffee. He opened the file, beginning to read the contents as he picked up his food, taking small, absent-minded bites.

Many times he'd almost fallen asleep, he was so tired. He kept on making himself more cups of coffee to keep himself awake until he finished her file.

xXx

One shower and a midnight snack later, Neji was getting into the bed, mind racing. As he pulled the covers over his mostly nude form, he sighed and closed his eyes.

'_Six years back, Sakura had a patient named Gaara. The file said that they developed a relationship closer than patient and doctor..' _Neji snorted. _'There's the first mistake.'_

'_Sakura had come closer to curing Gaara than anyone, and Tsunade's recordings said that she figured Gaara would be able to leave the hospital soon, with his behavior. But then an intern that had been put on probation, Sasuke Uchiha, returned to work.' _Neji frowned. _'I didn't know Sasuke worked there.. And I suppose he and Gaara were enemies.. The file says that Sasuke mistreated him numerous times.' _

Neji folded his arms behind his head, settling back. _'The file also says that Sasuke threatened to rape Sakura and she jabbed a needle of Nembutal into his throat, before letting him fall down the stairs. Seems Gaara loved Sakura, so he told her to run while he took the blame for Sasuke's death. Tsunade and all the others saw Gaara over Sasuke's body, before he ran, and hid.'_

Neji admitted, he was heart-felt for the pink-haired patient. _'Apparently Gaara was good at hiding, so no one found him until he froze to death. Sakura didn't let him go when she found his frozen body, rocking back and forth, sobbing uncontrollably. And when Tsunade tried to pry her off of his body, she kicked and screamed.'_

Neji furrowed his brows, eyes closed. _'Seems she didn't cure Gaara after all.. He merely passed his affliction on to her.'_

That thought reverberating through his head, he fell into an uneasy sleep.

xXx

The next morning Neji woke with a headache. He didn't sleep well at all, and his bones ached from the cold weather. He winced as he got up, hobbling to the closet to get dressed. Throwing some clothes on, he brushed his hair and tied it in the low ponytail, some loose bangs framing his face. He put on some deodorant and his favorite cologne.

He rushed out the door without so much as a sip of coffee for breakfast, and rushed to his car, getting in and starting it up. He drove off without a word, or even a thought for that matter.

Neji wasn't a morning person. He never liked getting up early in the mornings. He grumbled something, just staring blankly at the road as he drove.

Pulling up at the hospital, he sighed, turning off the ignition and opening the car door. He got out, shut the door and locked it, before turning and making his way towards the entrance.

He looked up at the gloomy building.. well, gloomily, and shook his head as the wind blew his hair back.

He opened the front doors and was greeted by the secretary, who blushed and smiled at him. He nodded politely to her, and she opened the door for him by pressing the same button as the day before.

He walked into Tsunade's office to see Sakura sitting in the corner, eyes closed. Tsunade put a finger to his lips and he nodded in understanding, keeping his mouth shut. "You have to be gentle when waking her," she mouthed, "or she freaks."

He bit his lip, brows furrowing. He learned new things every day..

Tsunade motioned for him to come closer. He did, and warily watched the sleeping rosette in the corner.

"Sakura," Tsunade whispered, taking caution not to be too close. The pink-haired woman mumbled a few things.

"Sakura, would you like to go to your cell to sleep?" Tsunade asked tenderly, voice barely above a whisper.

Her eyes jerked open, the bright green orbs wary, almost wild-looking.

"Sakura.." Tsunade smiled softly. "Go to your bed and go back to sleep, okay? It's still early."

Sakura nodded, eyes cold and blank, before standing and padding across the room. She stopped in front of Neji, lifting her head to look him coldly in the eyes. He looked at her in concern.

"Don't look at me like that." She growled.

"Like what?" he blinked.

".. Like everyone else does."

With those words, she left the room, leaving a surprised Neji staring after her.


	4. Chapter 3

**_THIS STORY IS BASED ON THE FANFICTION "AFFLICTION" BY everyday0203._**

**_I do not own Naruto._**

After the initial shock wore off, Neji frowned after Sakura. His brows furrowed, before he looked back to Tsunade.

"She's just like him," Tsunade murmured, smiling sadly at the Hyuga. "In almost every way.."

"So he really did pass on his illness to her.." Neji said, looking at the floor.

"Yes.. I'd be careful not to make the same mistake she did, Neji." Tsunade said sadly. "I don't want you ending up here too."

Neji nodded, lips a grim, straight line. His white eyes were cast down to the floor, his mind racing. Did he like her in that way? He pitied her, he thought. She was very interesting, he knew that. He read her file and he felt for her. No matter how crappy she treated him, he couldn't bring himself to hate her.

.. Was that what she meant by the way everyone looked at her? Like they pitied her? She didn't want people's pity, he supposed. Not that he could blame her; no one wanted pity.

"Neji, I'd like for you to get a few of these out of the medicine room I showed you yesterday and give them to this patient."

Neji was handed a folder, and he glanced at the patient's file before nodding. He left the room, beginning to browse the folder as he walked. The patient, Bou Tsudeki, had a severe case of dementia, and was given a dose of.. Nembutal, daily.

Nembutal…?

Nembutal, from Neji knew, was a sleeping drug.. an addictive one. They used a drug like this in a mental institution?

Was that what Tsunade had threatened Sakura with the day before??

Neji's brows furrowed. Sleeping drug.. For a case of dementia.. He would have to ask Tsunade about it.

After taking a good twenty minutes trying to get close enough to the patient to drug him, Neji finally pricked his arm with the needle, shooting the drug into his system. The man immediately calmed, becoming a hollow, empty shell of a human. His eyes were glazed over and he hid behind his bed, glancing warily at Neji. Neji slowly backed out of the room, dusting himself off, and closed the door. He made his way back to Tsunade's office, clutching the file under his arm.

"Tsunade," he said once he got in the door. He set the file on her desk, frowning. "Why is Nembutal being used here?"

"It's used to calm the patients," Tsunade said, blinking. "Are you upset?"

"They're not calmed, Tsunade, they're.. zombies!" Neji frowned more. "It's no wonder this place is so dead.. they're completely zoned out."

"Neji, Nembutal's a necessity here," Tsunade said, frowning. "Some of the patients get so out of control that they need to be drugged down.."

Neji shook his head. "Still..." after a moment, he said, ".. Does Sakura get Nembutal?"

"Only when she gets out of control."

Neji looked at Tsunade seriously. "I want her taken off of it."

Tsunade's eyes widened. "But.."

"If she gets out of control, I'll handle her.." Neji frowned at the blonde. "I really think I can handle her. I've already learned a lot, just by yesterday. And if I'm careful, I can learn what makes her—"

"I've been trying to learn that for six years, Neji.." Tsunade shook her head. "Just when I think I've figured her out, she does something completely different and I go all the way back to square one."

"Tsu—"

"Neji, we'll talk about the Nembutal later.." Tsunade said, looking at her watch. "I want you to go to her room and observe her for a while. But be careful; do not interfere, only observe."

"Hai.." Neji nodded, before turning and beginning to leave.

"Oh, Neji," Tsunade called, making him stop. He looked back at her.

"Your new uniform," Tsunade grinned, reaching towards a rack and grabbing a long white lab coat. She tossed it to him, and he looked at her then it, before putting it on. He nodded to her, before turning and leaving the office, the lab coat flowing after him.

xXx

"Sakura, may I come in..?" Neji asked politely, knocking a few times.

No answer.

Neji knocked a few more times, frowning. Still no answer.

"I can't answer you if I'm not in the room." Neji whirled around to see Sakura behind him, glaring at him.

"Aha, I suppose so.." Neji smiled wearily, stepping aside.

"I know you're only in here under Tsunade's orders, so that's why I'm letting you in," the rosette said in a monotone, yet ice-cold voice. "Otherwise you wouldn't be going near this door."

Neji held back a sigh, and followed her in the room. He closed the door behind him, and sat back against the wall, pulling the clipboard he previously held under his arm into his lap. He glanced at her to find that she was glaring holes into his face.

"What?" he asked, frowning, and this seemed to startle her for a moment. He took the opportunity to scribble on the paper, 'Not used to being contradicted.'

In a pathetic attempt to entertain himself, Neji said to her, "Ellohay."

She looked at him, scowling.

"Not a fan of pig latin, I see.." he murmured to himself, scribbling it on the paper. He chuckled at his odd sense of humor, and his face fell, Tsunade's words repeating in his head. _'Do not interfere; only observe.'_

".. You can't fix me." Her words broke him out of his thoughts.

He looked at her, blinking. "What?"

"You can't.. fix me." Her eyes narrowed on him.

".. Who said I was here to try and fix you?" he countered, frowning. "I'm only doing my job."

This startled her as well. Her eyes widened, before she quickly recomposed herself, eyes narrowing. She looked at the wall opposite her as she sat on her bed, face blank.

They sat there for at least an hour, not moving. Neji's eyes darted about the room, taking in every detail as Sakura sat unmoving on her shabby bed. Her eyes didn't move from the wall once, and Neji could feel his eyelids getting heavier. He wanted to sleep, so badly; and he was about to give in to it. She wasn't doing anything, hadn't been doing anything, and probably wouldn't be doing anything for a while, and he didn't see how a little nap wouldn't hurt.

His eyes had just closed when a loud bell buzzed. Sakura got off of her bed, heading towards the door without a word. Neji jerked up, alarmed. "Where the..?"

"Shower time," Sakura replied without looking at him, closing the door behind her. He stared after her, his eyelids half-lidded. He sighed, not able to avoid the drowsiness, and finally let it overtake him, blackness obscuring his vision.

xXx

Neji was awoken rather unpleasantly, his head being hit with something hard and thick. He grumbled, glaring at whatever had hit him, and found it was a large, hard-back book. It was black and leather-bound, and old-looking. He turned to the first page and saw the title in elegant, scrawly handwriting: _'The Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe.'_

"You like Poe?" Neji asked, looking up at Sakura who he knew was obviously there. He also knew she threw the book, probably to wake him up.

She didn't answer; she only pointed towards the door. He didn't know how long he'd been asleep; he got up, rubbing the back of his head. Bending over to grab his abandoned clipboard, he asked, "What time is it?"

She pointed to the dusty clock hanging above her bed, and his eyes widened. Two hours..

His heart-rate sped up in slight panic, and was actually rather thankful Sakura woke him up when she did. He cast her a glance before rushing out of the room, hair disheveled from sleep.

He burst into Tsunade's office after running down several hallways. He was panting, hair and lab coat disheveled.

"Neji, is everything alright?" Tsunade looked up, concerned.

Neji blinked. He'd assumed Tsunade knew he'd fallen asleep and was angry. Seeing her clueless, concerned look, he shook his head, saying, "Yes, everything's fine. Just thought you might have needed me for something."

"No, everything's fine right now." Tsunade smiled some. "Any notes on Sakura?"

"Well.. " Neji looked at the clipboard in his hands. "Uhm.. She's.. not used to being contradicted. And.." he scanned the page and chuckled.

Tsunade looked at him expectantly.

".. Not a fan of pig latin." He mumbled, chuckling more.

Tsunade blinked in confusion, but dismissed it. "Anything.. _useful?_ Tell me, what interaction was there in her room?"

"Well.." Neji thought for a moment. "She said something, and I hadn't said anything to her before.."

"What was that?" Tsunade pressed.

"She said.. 'You can't fix me'." Neji frowned. "And I said, 'Who said I was here to fix you?'. She looked startled, like she hadn't expected me to say that."

Tsunade blinked. "Sakura.. when she met Gaara, and saw that he reacted differently to her than to anyone else, she thought that she could fix him.

"And she almost did.. Or so we all thought. Turned out that Gaara couldn't change. Sakura got in too deep and.."

"Ended up in his place." Neji frowned. "What a miserable ending.."

"Sakura never did get the fairy-tale she dreamed of with Gaara." Tsunade looked down. "If Sasuke hadn't come back.."

".. She might have succeeded." Neji finished for her.

Tsunade smiled sadly. "You're a very bright person, Neji.. I trust you won't make the same mistake Sakura did."

Neji nodded. "I know, Tsunade."

"Yes, well, unless you'd like to observe Sakura more, you can go home."

Neji breathed a small sigh of relief, before hanging his newly-received lab coat on a hanger near Tsunade's desk and making his way out of the blonde's office. He bid her a short good-bye and began making his way down a hall. However, he found his feet heading in the direction of Sakura's room. He found himself knocking on it, and found her opening her door and glaring at him.

"What?" she looked at him.

"I-I just wanted to say bye," Neji said dumbly, not even really knowing what he was doing. "I'll, uh, see you tomorrow."

"Probably not," she said, before closing the door in his face. He blinked, looking around, mentally smacking himself. _'What the hell did I do that for?_

He turned and walked out of the hospital, shaking his head.

xXx

"So, Neji, how's your new internship coming?" Lee asked as Neji punched at the boxing pads attached to his friend's hands.

Neji groaned. "I don't want to talk about that."

"Oh, well when's your next doctor's appointment? I want to come with." Lee grinned.

"Uhm.. Two days from today." Neji frowned. He'd forgotten all about going to the doctor. He went once a month to see how his body was doing, if there were any infections. He stopped punching, and bent, palms on his knees.

"You're not done yet, Neji," Lee blinked. "You okay?"

Neji nodded, wiping his nose and panting. "I'm just gonna go take a swim.." he mumbled, before turning and walking in the direction of the locker rooms.

One shower and a change of clothes later, Neji stood at the edge of the pool. He looked down at the water. He stood over twelve feet of lukewarm, calm water.

He dove.

Hands first, he hit the cool water. He darted straight down, and opened his pale eyes under the water. He suspended himself in the water for a moment, arms moving to keep himself deep in the water, and looked around. All he saw was the marble walls of the pool's edges, painted in the dancing blue tints of the water. He looked up and saw the edge of the water, still slightly rippling from his dive. After a few more moments of gazing at the underwater scenery around him (or lack of it), he moved his arms and legs and swam up to the top. His head broke the surface and he let out the air he'd been holding in, taking in deep breaths. He looked around, sighing softly, treading the water.

He began doing laps around the pool. Back and forth, back and forth, he touched wall after wall, and soon, he'd done over thirty laps. He leaned on the side, catching his breath and looking around. It was then that he caught sight of the female heading in his direction. She had long blonde hair, and it was tied into a pony-tail. She was rather pretty, but her bathing-suit was a tad too skimpy.

"Hello," she called faintly with a smile.

He nodded to show her he'd heard her, and didn't give her a second thought.

"What's your name?" he looked back to her to find her already in the water, swimming across the pool in his direction.

"Neji Hyuga," he replied airily, looking at her.

"I'm Ino, Ino Yamanaka," she said, smiling. If he weren't mistaken, he swore he caught the faint tinge of pink crossing her cheeks.

"Nice to meet you."

"Hey, aren't you that doctor..?" she giggled some, treading water in front of him.

"Well, I work at.." he debated on whether or not it'd be embarrassing or not to tell her. ".. Konoha's mental institution."

Her eyes widened, then she looked away and frowned. Neji took it as a sign that she had memories of it. "You know someone there..?"

"Yes.." she frowned more. "Do you know a Sakura Haruno..?"

Neji's eyes widened. "Yes.. she's.. one of my patients. Why?"

"Well.. She used to be my best friend." Ino looked at him sadly, and suddenly he was more interested in the blonde.

"Could you.. Tell me anything about her? Likes, dislikes? Anything you tell me could be very helpful.." he pressed.

Ino seemed to think for a moment. She swam to lean on the wall beside him, turning her head to look at him, before looking at the water. "She loved sweets. That was her favorite food. She also loved flowers. I used to give her discounts at my mom's flower shop."

Neji nodded, listening intently.

"Uhm.. Well.. Sakura loved Edgar Allen Poe, and she loved to listen to… What was it?" Ino tapped her chin. "Oh! It was Seether, I think. I remember buying her one of their CDs for her birthday."

"Seether?" Neji raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, rock band.. Some of their music is actually.. good. I don't prefer them, but she loves them." Ino replied.

"What about dislikes?" Neji questioned.

Ino frowned. "Sakura hated cocky people. She didn't like condescending people.. She also hated her hair."

"Her hair?" Neji looked at the blonde incredulously.

Ino nodded. "She hated it. She said it was always messy, and the fact that it was pink made people think differently of her. Like she was some kind of 'sap', as she put it."

Neji smiled some. "So she's always been tough?"

"Oh yeah. Some people went so far to say that she's a tomboy." Ino smiled. "But I don't think she was that boyish. Just independent."

"You've helped me a lot.. Ino," he said, almost forgetting her name. She nodded in return.

"Actually, since she got admitted to the hospital, her apartment's been cleaned out.. I have most of her things. Do you think that.. maybe giving her some of the things from her apartment would help her?"

"It wouldn't hurt to try," Neji nodded, before hoisting himself up onto the edge of the pool with his arms. Ino did the same, and they stood.

"Want to meet out front and then meet me at my house?" Ino asked.

"Sounds fine." Neji said, nodding, and they split ways to go into the male and female locker rooms.

xXx

On the way to Ino's house, he looked to the blonde girl in the seat next to him as he drove. Three Days Grace blaring on the stereos, he noticed she was slightly uncomfortable with the music. He switched the CDs out, putting in one with a more classical feel to it. He smiled some as the song "Sakura" by Yasuko Kyoda came on. It was absolutely beautiful. He loved to play it on the piano.

Speaking of the piano, he thought, he hadn't played it in quite a while. It was probably getting dusty. He reminded himself to clean it once he got home.

He glanced at her and saw that she'd relaxed some. He followed her direction, and soon they arrived at the blonde's house.

"In here," Ino opened the door to one room. Neji didn't really take the time to look around the small house, but did notice that it was rather clean and smelled of nice flowers. He followed Ino into one room, and looked around. It was filled with different things, ranging from stuffed animals to blankets to CDs. There was also a large pile of books, and Neji could see the Biography of Edgar Allen Poe among them. He knew he would take that to her, maybe she'd enjoy it.

"Just get some things you think she'd like," Ino said, motioning towards the cornecopia of things. "I'd suggest a stuffed animal. And this.." she went and picked a small pink blanket. "It was her favorite blanket, even as a child."

Even though the cloth looked worn and raggedy, it was incredibly soft. It made Neji drowsy just holding it. Sleep.. How late was it? Neji looked around for a clock. Not seeing one, Neji asked, "What time is it?"

"Uhm.. I don't know." Ino replied unsurely. "It's probably late."

She handed him a small teddy bear, and he held it, along with the blanket. "Uhm.. could I get that book?" he asked, pointing to it.

She blinked, glancing at it. "Oh, the creepy-looking one?" she asked.

"Yeah, that one."

"Oh yeah!" she smiled as she picked it up and dusted it off with a hand. "Sakura always did love Poe. Duh."

She smiled, and handed the book to him, and he took it gratefully. He really did owe this girl a lot. It was a possibility that he could get Sakura to come out of her shell with these things. And now that he knew what she liked and disliked, he could use that to his advantage as well.

"As a thanks for all of this, I'd like to repay you," Neji said, looking at her. "How about I treat you to dinner?"

Ino turned a light pink. "That sounds good. When?"

"I was thinking tomorrow night?"

"Alright. What time?"

Neji looked at her blushing face in slight amusement. "Meet me at Hiroshima café at seven."

She nodded, smiling. They headed towards the door, and she waved as he got in his car, putting the items in the back seat, and drove off.


End file.
